A Heart Broken, A Hero Forgotten
by narutofanx100
Summary: Well, i've decided to cancel this story.  It wasnt going anywhere, and I made too many mistakes.  So im starting a new one!  Check it out!  It's titled, For You.  Mr. Lee, i'd like you to review A LOT.
1. Chapter 1

**A Heart Broken, A Hero Forgotten**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

**Kyuubi**

_**Inner Sakura**_

_Flashback_

"_Flashback talking"_

_Thinking_

Naruto and Sakura had become great friends in the time of Sasuke's absence. However, after two years of searching for him, his location was finally discovered. Naruto soon brought him back to the village.

Almost immediately, Sakura forgot about Naruto and began dating Sasuke. Even though her Inner Sakura knew Sakura's true feelings, Sakura unfortunately ignored her.

_**Ditch Sasuke! Go back to Naruto! You know you love him! **_Her Inner Sakura would say.

Naruto, however happy he was for Sakura's joy, was also pained by her choice. He sat alone in his apartment remembering when Sasuke had first been released from the prison.

_Sasuke stepped through the door outside into Konoha, where Sakura and Naruto stood waiting. Sakura immediately embraced Sasuke, weeping. Naruto watched quietly, hiding his pain._

"_Good to see you Teme" Naruto said to Sasuke after Sakura had calmed down._

"_You too Dobe." Sasuke replied, followed by Sakura hugging him again._

"_Well…I should be going…I have…things to do." Naruto replied sadly. He turned and walked._

"_Dobe…" Sasuke started to say as he hugged even tighter by Sakura._

_Naruto kept walking. And didn't stop until he reached his apartment._

That was a week ago, and since then, Naruto hadn't left his apartment except to buy food. His answering machine was filled with worried messages from friends. Normally, he wouldn't be so depressed, but the recent turn of events had left Naruto heartbroken.

His mind still pondered the decision that lingered in his mind. He finally agreed to do what he felt was necessary for himself. So one night, Naruto gathered a backpack with necessary supplies and made his way to the village gate. He turned to look at the village one last time, realizing that this decision would destroy his goal, to become Hokage. He finally turned back around, and left the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The next day, Sakura and Sasuke came by Naruto's apartment with an invitation to train together. They knocked on the door, with no answer. As they knocked again, harder, the door swung open. They looked around to see a wrecked apartment. On the kitchen counter laid a note. Sasuke went over and opened the note as Sakura searched the apartment.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the note, and he called for Sakura. She came in and he handed the note to her. It read:

_To whoever finds this note:_

_My decision to leave the village has most likely already been completed. It is best that I should do this, as I have too many painful reminders here. To Sasuke, I'm sorry that I left before we could have a real fight. To my friends, thank you for acknowledging me and making me feel wanted. To Iruka, thank you for being a brother to me. I will miss you. To Kakashi, don't let Sasuke leave again. Not after all this. To Tsunade-Obaachan, you have truly become a worthy Hokage to me. I'll miss you. And finally, to Sakura-Chan, you must have known that I have loved you, and that I would do anything to make you happy. With Sasuke, I know you can be happy. But this turn of events has pained me deeply, and I'm afraid that I can't stay. Goodbye to all of you._

_Naruto_

At this, Sakura wept, because she realized the mistake she had made and understood now that she truly loved Naruto. The next day, Sakura broke up with Sasuke. She showed the note to everyone mentioned in it. Those who knew Naruto were devastated by this news.

Naruto entered the forest, unsure of where he would go. He knew though, that everything that mattered to Naruto was at an end, and that if he returned, things would never be the same.

**Are you sure about this? **The Kyuubi asked.

_I couldn't live like that. It was just too painful_ Naruto thought.

**The end of chapter one. Chapter 2 coming soon. Comments are encouraged. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the great reviews. Im really sorry for the long update…its been pretty hectic here and ive been busy. Anyways, here is chapter two of the story.**

**A Heart Broken, A Hero Forgotten**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

**Kyuubi**

_**Inner Sakura**_

_Flashback_

"_Flashback talking"_

_Thinking_

_Flashback_

_Sakura read the note on the counter of Naruto's messy apartment._

_To whoever finds this note:_

_My decision to leave the village has most likely already been completed. It is best that I should do this, as I have too many painful reminders here. To Sasuke, I'm sorry that I left before we could have a real fight. To my friends, thank you for acknowledging me and making me feel wanted. To Iruka, thank you for being a brother to me. I will miss you. To Kakashi, don't let Sasuke leave again. Not after all this. To Tsunade-Obaachan, you have truly become a worthy Hokage to me. I'll miss you. And finally, to Sakura-Chan, you must have known that I have loved you, and that I would do anything to make you happy. With Sasuke, I know you can be happy. But this turn of events has pained me deeply, and I'm afraid that I can't stay. Goodbye to all of you._

_Naruto_

_At this, Sakura wept, because she realized the mistake she had made and understood now that she truly loved Naruto. The next day, Sakura broke up with Sasuke. She showed the note to everyone mentioned in it. Those who knew Naruto were devastated by this news._

_End Flashback_

That was five years ago, shortly after Sasuke had been brought back to the village. Neither Sakura nor Sasuke regretted the decision made about the break-up, as they both cared for Naruto and realized the mistake they had made. They had since founded a brother/sister relationship. Any day that they were not on a mission, they went to the main village gate for about two hours in hopes that Konoha's number one knuckleheaded ninja would return.

Sakura sat on the bench next to Sasuke, both looking out at the forest beyond the towering gate. Still facing the forest, she asked as she did every day, "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Sasuke, not knowing the answer to the question but trying to remain comforting, replied, "I hope so…the village has become too quiet without him."

Sakura agreed with a nod and a smile. "It's getting dark…I'm gonna go home for the night." She said, standing up.

Sasuke got up slowly and asked, "Are you gonna be alright?"

"Yep. I'll see you tomorrow Sasuke." She responded smiling. She had stopped using the _kun_ suffix on his name since Naruto had left.

Sasuke smiled, and together they walked back into the village until they split up to go to their own houses.

Back at the gate, a lone, cloaked figure with bright blond hair and cerulean blue eyes walked into the village. The guards stared mouths gaping at the newcomer as he passed.

Naruto Uzumaki stopped and looked at the village in front of him. The five years of growth had changed him, both physically and emotionally. He now looked much like the Yondaime Hokage, his hair longer and his body bigger. He was taller and more muscular, but his body still retained the look of a young man. His face was slightly thinner and his jaw more defined. The most distinctive change, however, was his attitude. He was more mature and not as loud or obnoxious as he was five years ago, yet he still had his sense of humor, eagerness, and he still never gave up.

_I'm home, _He thought.

**But are you sure you're ready, kit?** The Demon fox within him asked, concerned. Over the five year absence, Naruto and the Kyuubi had grown a bond of friendship. Although unusual for a human and a demon to form a friendship, Naruto was never one to follow the normal standards.

_If I don't face it now, I'll never be able to_, He replied to the Kyuubi.

He walked forward and made his way to the Hokage's Palace, eager to see his old (the term used as literal as it is figurative) friend, Tsunade-Obaasan.

Tsunade looked out the window of the Hokage's office. She sighed and still held the pain from the news of Naruto's leaving. She sat down at her desk and poured herself a glass of Sake. She was about to take a sip when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she yelled. The doorknob turned and revealed Jiraiya and Shizune. They stepped in and both took seats at the desk.

"Hello Tsunade. Still as pretty as ever I see," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"Jiraiya, you old pervert," she replied, with a glare.

Shizune only sighed as the two argued, Ton-Ton in her arms and making its trademark "Poy-poy."

"I'm guessing you didn't come here to compliment me on my looks, Jiraiya…So what brings you here?" Tsunade asked, finally taking a sip of her Sake.

"Still no news of Naruto," he replied grimly. "Every time I find a lead, I lose the trail again with a new rumor."

Tsunade sighed. Even though she was prepared to hear this, she still couldn't help but feel grief from the report. Before she could reply, another knock emanated from the door.

"Yes, come in." she yelled. The door swung open. Standing in the doorway, with his usual fox grin, stood Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hi Tsunade-Obaasan, you old hag. Did ya miss me?" he asked jokingly.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed quietly. "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that you brat?" she yelled back. She couldn't stop herself from grinning afterwards, and she stood up and hugged him as he walked over to her. "Yes I missed you…we all missed you so much."

Jiraiya stood up, still shocked at his arrival. "What's the matter, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked grinning. "Did some girl finally hit you so hard that you couldn't speak anymore?" he laughed.

Jiraiya shook a fist at him. "Stop calling me that. I am not a pervert!"

"Sure you're not." Naruto replied. Everyone laughed at that.

After getting reacquainted, they all took their seats and Tsunade poured them all glasses of Sake.

"So when did you get back?" Tsunade asked.

"Just now actually," he replied, taking a sip.

"What have you been up to these past five years?" Jiraiya asked next, taking a sip as well.

"Training, wandering, picking up new techniques wherever and whenever I could. I also visited some old friends at the Village Hidden in the Mist," he replied.

"Hmm…In that case, I'll have to evaluate you sometime to see what you've learned." Tsunade interjected, sipping her sake.

"I look forward to it. So where will I be staying now?" Naruto asked.

"You're old apartment. It's been cleaned up and is ready whenever you are. Here's the key right here." Tsunade replied, handing him the aforementioned key.

"Thank you," Naruto said standing up. He yawned and said, "Well, I need to get some rest. I've been walking all day. I'll come back tomorrow and we can talk some more."

Tsunade and Jiraiya stood up and nodded. Tsunade said, "We really have missed you Naruto…and we're glad to have you back."

Naruto smiled warmly, and poofed away in a cloud of smoke. Jiraiya and Tsunade smiled, happy about the blond shinobi's return, and sat down again, reminiscing now about times had with Naruto.

**A/N: Well, there you have it. Chapter two, finally added. I tried to make it longer than the intro. Next chapter we see Naruto seeing the rookie nine­­--and Sakura-- again. Keep up the reviews, and good or bad, I will continue the story. I'll update when I can, but they might take some time with school coming up. Again, comments are encouraged. Thanks dattebayo!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A quicker update, im on a roll here. In this chapter we see the reunion of the Rookie Nine and Naruto.**

**A Heart Broken, A Hero Forgotten**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

**Kyuubi**

_**Inner Sakura**_

_Flashback_

"_Flashback talking"_

_Thinking_

--------------------------------------------------Break--------------------------------------------------

Naruto opened his eyes and observed the ceiling of his apartment. He sat up slowly and yawned, scanning the room. When he had first entered last night it was too dark and he was too tired to notice the room. He saw familiar posters, one with his trademark spiral painted in red. On his nightstand was the picture taken of Team 7 so many years ago, with Kakashi ruffling Naruto's and Sasuke's hair. Naruto and Sasuke both looked annoyed, but in different ways. He set down the picture and stood up. He stretched, dressed quickly, and exited the apartment.

On his way back to the Hokage's Palace, he received many stares of shock and confusion from the villagers. He ignored their impoliteness and continued onwards to his destination. He arrived at the palace and made his way up the stairs. He knocked on the door of the Hokage's office and received an invitation into the room.

--------------------------------------------------Break--------------------------------------------------

Tsunade was sitting at her desk when she heard the knock at the door. "Come in!" she yelled, guessing who it was.

Naruto stepped through the door and shut it behind him, taking a seat at her desk. "Good morning Tsunade-Obaachan (I realize that ive been using Obaasan rather than Obaachan, so im changing it now)"! He said happily.

Tsunade smiled. "Ok Naruto, you will be evaluated on your skill in three days in order for us to find out what rank you would be fit for. But before that, I thought it would be nice for you to see your old friends again. Which is why I've gathered up the rookie nine, plus Kakashi and Konohamaru."

"I can't wait to see them all again. I've missed them," Naruto said, smiling with a reminiscent look on his face.

Tsunade replied, "They've missed you, too, and you'll be meeting them at the Hyuuga compound in 20 minutes."

"Hmm…the Hyuugas...0" he muttered.

"Yes. Actually, Hinata has finally taken her place as head of the Hyuuga clan, after coming of age. Neji is her second in command." She replied.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at hearing this. _Hinata must have grown a lot these past five years,_ He thought

"You should head over there now. Seeing as you're the guest of honor, you should be there when the others arrive," She said, interrupting his train of thought.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Ok. See you later Tsunade-Obaachan." He said. He stood up, and poofed away.

--------------------------------------------------Break--------------------------------------------------

Naruto arrived just outside of the Hyuuga compound. He brushed away the dirt on his clothes, and stepped up to the doorway. He knocked, and waited. Moments later, he heard footsteps echo through the house towards the door. It slid open, and revealed Hanabi, the youngest of the clan.

"Can I help…" she started, before she looked at his face. "You…you're…" she stuttered.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," He finished.

"Excuse me," she said quickly as she shut the door. He heard her run down the hallway. A moment later, he heard someone yell in excitement, and more footsteps. The door opened again, revealing Hinata and Neji.

"Hello Hinata, Neji," Naruto greeted, bowing to the leaders of the Hyuuga clan.

Neji and Hinata studied his face for a moment before Hinata hugged him and said, "It's really you, isn't it?"

He hugged her back lightly and replied, "Yes, it is."

Neji nodded at Naruto and said, "How have you been, baka?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Not bad, all things considering. Yourself?"

Neji shrugged. "I can't complain."

Hinata stepped back and motioned for Naruto to enter. "Come in!"

Naruto complied and stepped inside the mansion.

"The others should arrive shortly, although two of them are already here." Hinata said, walking in front of Naruto.

"Who?" he asked eagerly.

"Tenten and Kiba-kun," she replied, lowering her voice slightly when she added the _kun_.

Neji leaned forward and whispered to Naruto, "She's been dating Kiba for two years now."

Naruto whispered back, smirking, "What about you?"

"Um…I've…" he started, blushing a bit. "I've been dating Tenten," he finished.

Naruto smiled. "I'm happy for you and Hinata."

Neji smiled back for a brief second, before reassuming his normal facial appearance

"I'd like to see them," Naruto said to Hinata.

"Of course. I'll lead you to where the party will be held. They're there now," she replied.

Hinata led Naruto to a large decorated room with party banisters, food, and drinks. "Hanabi wanted to decorate, and as you can see," she said, smiling.

"Ya, I can see," Naruto replied, chuckling.

On one side of the room stood Tenten and Kiba conversing and snacking. They turned to face Hinata and Neji, and saw Naruto standing between them.

"Naruto? Is that you?" they both said.

He nodded, and Neji, Hinata and him walked toward Kiba and Tenten.

"It's good to see you, you baka!" Kiba said as Hinata took her place at his side.

"Ya, it really is!" Tenten said, standing next to Neji.

"So what have you been up to?" Kiba asked Naruto.

"Wandering, training, learning, and visiting old friends," Naruto replied. "What about yourselves?"

"Well, Tenten and I have been spending a more time with Hinata and Neji, you've probably already guessed why…" he said, grasping Hinata's hand. "In general, the rookie nine have been improving a lot."

"We've been pretty split up though, because of missions and such," Tenten interjected.

"Ya, this will be the first time we've all been together since Christmas of last year." Kiba said.

Just then, Hanabi walked in the room, Chouji and Shikamaru trailing behind her. "Shikamaru-niisan and Chouji-niisan have arrived." She said.

Shikamaru and Chouji walked toward the four, and they both looked at Naruto.

"Naruto? Hey it is you!" Chouji said, grinning.

"Hey, Naruto!" Shikamaru said, smiling.

"Hey guys, it's been a while, huh?" Naruto replied.

"Sure has. I half expected this to be some kind of prank being pulled on us by Tsunade," Shikamaru said.

"Well, as you can see, it's no joke." Naruto replied.

"Hmm…" Chouji mumbled. Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Shikamaru asked his friend.

"Have you noticed that Naruto hasn't yelled once the entire time we've been here?" He replied.

"Hey, ya! You're right!" Kiba noticed.

"Wow, Naruto…you've really grown up I guess." Shikamaru said.

"Thanks a lot." Naruto grumbled. They all laughed.

Hanabi reappeared at the door. "Ino-niisan and Rock Lee have arrived." She announced.

Ino walked over to Chouji and hugged him before looking at Naruto. "Naruto! You're really here!" She exclaimed, her voice loud.

"Ya…I'm here," replied Naruto, his voice a whisper compared to hers a moment ago.

"Naruto! I can see that the your youthfulness has not left you in these five years!" Lee exclaimed.

"Hey Lee! It's good to see you again!" Naruto said, looking at Konoha's second Green Beast, the first being Gai.

Naruto soon caught everyone their up on what he had been doing in his absence, and they, well, Ino actually, told him about the news in Konoha.

As they talked, a poof of smoke appeared in the middle of them. They all jumped back yelling, frightened from the sudden appearance of Kakashi. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at his ex-mentor.

"Oh, hey Naruto. How have you been?" he asked.

"I've been good, you?" he replied.

Kakashi responded with a shrug.

Naruto sweatdropped, but returned to normal when he heard the announcement of the next guest.

"Sasuke Uchiha has arrived."

Sasuke stared at Naruto and Naruto back.

"Teme," Naruto said.

"Dobe," Sasuke replied.

Sasuke broke the awkwardness with a smile and said, "It's good to see you again!"

Naruto, shocked, replied, "You're not emo anymore! And it's good to see you, too!"

Sasuke laughed and replied, "Thanks a lot." Everone laughed.

The next two to arrive were Shino and Iruka.

"Hey Shino," Naruto greeted.

Shino responded with a nod and a small wave.

"And hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed afterwards.

Iruka grinned and replied, "Hey Naruto! What have you been doing?"

Naruto sighed. "This is the, what…third or fourth time I've explained it?" They laughed. "I've been wandering, training, learning, and visiting old friends…that's the basic idea." He replied.

Hanabi entered the room and said, "I've just found out that Konohamaru could not make it to the party because he is currently in on a mission. However, Sakura-niisan has arrived."

She stepped in the room. It went silent as they all stared at Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi looked at the group, excluding Sasuke, and said, pushing them toward the door, "If we could all just step outside for a moment…"

Sasuke looked from Naruto to Sakura, who both still remained silent.

Sakura broke the silence. "Naruto…" she said quietly.

"Hello, Sakura…" He replied, a hint of pain in his voice.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought, _He left off the chan…_

"Naruto…I have to explain what happened to you…then, if you want, you can still be mad at me…but first you have to hear me out." She said, a single tear coming down her face.

"After we read the note you left, Sasuke and I broke up. We knew it was for the best. I realized at that point that Sasuke was just a phase…it was just an infatuation…it wasn't real love…so I thought back and realized, every time I was with Sasuke I had to put on an act…I never acted like myself. But when I was with you, I never had to pretend," she started

"I felt comfortable around you…and you were always there for me…saving me, making sure I was happy…and I realized it was you who I loved…not Sasuke…" she finished.

Naruto stared at her, mouth gaping. Tears were streaming down her face now. "I want you to forgive me Naruto…but I understand if you don't…I ignored you when Sasuke returned, even though you kept your promise…"

Naruto, seeing Sakura like this, couldn't handle it anymore. He ran up to her and embraced her in an enormous hug. "Of couse I forgive you, Sakura-_chan_," he said, softly, trying to calm her down. She buried her head in his chest and cried. When she finally stopped, she looked up at him. "Of course I forgive you…" he repeated.

She smiled weakly and rested her head on his chest. Before Naruto could say anything else, Neji ran in. "Urgent message from Genma! Tsunade-sama needs all of us in her office, now!" he said. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto looked at each other. They nodded to Neji and they all poofed away from the room.

--------------------------------------------------Break--------------------------------------------------

"Finally…the time has come…this time, we will destroy the Hidden Leaf Village for good," said the snake-like voice.

His subordinate pushed his glasses up this nose a bit. "And this time, we have allies."

Around the large table sat the Raikage, the Tsuchikage, the Yukikage, and the Hoshikage.

"Konoha will never again be rebuilt." Said Orochimare, laughing maniacally.

--------------------------------------------------Break--------------------------------------------------

**A/N: Ha ha! Chapter three, and the action is already beginning. In future chapters, you'll see lotsa NaruSaku fluff, along with other pairings such as InoChouji, ShikaTema, KibaHina, and NejiTen.**

**Keep up with the reviews. Constructive criticism is welcome, and flames will be laughed at.**


End file.
